Night of the Hawke
by alimination602
Summary: Finally the Elven Mage is able to confront her bewitching companion and tell her exactly what shes meant to her.    Merrill x Female Hawke
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1- The Hawke and the Elf

Her heart was racing in her chest. Her mind was wracked with worry and her feet refused to remain planted to the floor. She continued to pace backwards and forwards, the unfamiliarity of her plush surroundings ensuring that the country elf remained even more on edge.

"Ugh" Merrill groaned, she clasped her palms over her eyes, shielding her sensitive eyes from the warm glow of the candles scattered around the room which bathed the room in a warm, serene glow. "_Have I made a mistake? What would she say? What if she-_"

"Merrill?" A strong voice broke the perpetual silence, freezing Merrill in mid-step. Merrill silently rose her face from her cupped palms, turning to face the source of the voice. A figure stood in the doorway, a tall woman dressed in the simple, elegant clothes of a Hightown noble woman. She also appeared to be the owner of the estate- Brianna Hawke.

"Oh thank goodness you are here" Merrill stepped forward to greet her visitor. "I thought you had gone to the Hanged Man" Merrill stepped wistfully to the side, her gaze floating across the room. "And I almost went there to look for you first but then I thought you'd gone to see your uncle instead..." Merrill slowly trailed off, her head lowering in quiet submission. Merrill raised her bashful gaze. "And I am rambling aren't I?"

Hawke simply smiled sweetly. "I don't mind- you are adorable when you are flustered"

"After you left I..." Merrill trailed off, searching for the correct words. "I could not stop thinking about Pal and the mirror and everything that has happened. I wonder if I made a mistake, leaving the Dalish"

"You are just feeling homesick, don't second guess yourself" Hawke reassured her Elven companion.

"I suppose if I hadn't left my people I never would have met you. I am not like you, and I wish that I were" Merrill smiled bashfully, always someone who could discover the bright side of any situation. "You are beautiful and clever and you never make any mistakes. And I... I do not deserve you"

"Of course you do- it is I who does not deserve someone like you" Brianna could not deny the effect Merrill had had on her over the past few years since Hawke had accepted her into her group.

"I have made a mess of things, I know that." Merrill's gaze lowered, her fingers intertwining together in her nervous habit. "It is foolish of me to even dream that you might..."

"You do not have to dream about it" Hawke stepped forward, taking Merrill's chin in her long fingers. "It is alright" Hawke leant forward, gliding her lips towards Merrill's. Their lips met in an explosive flurry of warm human passion and serene, magical Dalish magic.

Brianna finally broke the embrace, the cold touch of the night air cascading over her lips in the absence of Merrill's warm touch. Merrill clasped Hawke's hands in her delicate fingers, raising them from her sides in a gentle, fluid motion. Merrill tugged on Briannas hands, pulling her companion towards the bed behind them. Merrill's knees caught on the edge of the bed, the joint collapsing in upon themselves and dragging her companion down on top of her. Merrill bounced on top of the soft mattress, their two bodies pressing warmly together, the lovers giggling sweetly as their legs became entangled at the foot of the bed.

Savouring the momentum Hawke pounced her lips down on top of Merrill's, the two of them quickly becoming enveloped in the intense passion of their shared kiss. Hawke could feel the gentle touch of Merrill's tongue slowly slipping past Hawke's lips and into the warm alcove of her partners waiting mouth once again. Hawke clashed her tongue against Merrill's. Warm human power clashed with serene elven magic. The two of them collided in a duel of pleasure- Hawke had reach, but Merrill had flexibility. In the end both proved too difficult for either party to overcome, instead they retreated from the kiss, both of them grasping for much needed breaths.

Hawke smiled down at her Dalish counterpart, Merrill returning the warm gesture. "The human noble" Merrill spoke in a wistful voice. "Rising from obscurity to become a powerful force in the city of Kirkwall. And as she fights demons, bandits and corrupt city officials at her side stands her Dalish sorcerer. Cast aside by her own people and thrust into the underworld of an unforgiving city the secret Blood Mage seeks comfort in the arms of her fearless leader" Merrill leant forward, nuzzling her nose against Hawkes. "And her love is well returned"

Hawke giggled sweetly. "Sounds like one of Varrics fantasy novels" Hawke placed her lips to Merrill's ear. "And I think we both know how they end"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2- The Hawke and the Knight Commander

The political situation in Kirkwall had drastically altered over in only a few short years. After the Qunari had launched their attempted uprising to claim the city and the reigning Viscount had been slain by the Arishoks hand, the Templars had begun to take advantage of the ensuing power vacuum to instigate their own political agenda in Kirkwall. With Knight Commander Meredith leading the charge the Templars began a systematic purge to expose any unsanctioned magic user within the city.

While most of the cities citizens were content to allow the Templars to establish complete political dominance over Kirkwall, seeing the stability they brought as well as their on-going mission to root out all dangerous Mages as a positive development after enduring such a long period of instability and fear. The mage community on the other hand, composed of those Magi not sanctioned by the Circle, their families and those within the Templars ranks who shared their cause, were forced underground and quickly turned to guerrilla warfare and other tactics in an effort to break the Templars iron hold over the city. But as the years passed the Templars hold over the city only tightened and the Mages became ever more desperate, some even daring to turn to the dark arts they so despised, seeing such capabilities as their only defence against Templar oppression. This only served to confirm Meredith's suspicions, giving the Templars ample justification to tighten the hold over the struggling Mages ever more.

With each side caught within an unbreakable stalemate they each turned to seek the Champions support for their cause. While the Champion believed that order must be maintained if the city were to survive the lengths at which the Templars were willing to go in search of 'Blood Mages' led her to suspect the Knight Commanders true motives. However the revelation that so many Mages had chosen to betray their principals to utilize the forbidden art, however well their intentions, showed a clear taint within the faction which would have to be removed if claims of their innocence were to be heeded. Surely it would not be long before the Champion was once again forced to stand before the people and decide upon the fate of the city of Kirkwall.

"_How had it all come to this?_" it was a question which Hawke found her asking ever more frequently as the weeks passed. She sat at her desk in the heart of the Hawke estate nestled into the bosom of Kirkwall's Hightown district, writing another letter to her sister Bethany who had been drafted into the Circle of Magi several years before. It always pained her to write these letters each week, knowing that any personal developments and topics of news would first be pawed over by an agent of the Templars searching for any code or sign of insurrection before the letter entered her sisters' hand. But still she continued writing each week, the few heavily self-censored replies which trickled back weighing heavily upon her heart because she knew that she had put her sister in that position. If she had been a quicker to return from the expidition, if she had taken Bethany with her into the Deep Roads, if she had never gone on the blasted trip in the first place all this could-

"Mistress?" a voice broke Brianna from her internal interrogation, looking up from her half completed letter she found her Elven attendant Orana standing at the door to her chambers, quietly waiting in silence to be acknowledged.

"Yes…" Hawke said hoarsely, clearing her throat she tried again. "Yes Orana, what is it?"

"Mistress, you have a visitor"

Brianna stepped out onto the balcony overlooking the living room of her estate. In the living room beneath, basking in the warm glow of the fireplace stood the defacto ruler of Kirkwall and leader of the Templar Order Knight Commander Meredith. Hawke steeled herself for the coming meeting, although she had met with the Knight Commander on many previous occasions the current political situation within the city demanded absolute neutrality from their Champion lest her mere endorsement of either faction be sufficient to tip the scales of power and lead to open conflict. The fact that the Knight Commander had chosen to visit her estate personally did not help to settle her concerns.

"Knight Commander Meredith" Brianna stepped down the stairs into the main hall to greet her visitor. "I am surprised to see you anywhere without an escort of Templar Knights"

Meredith turned to face the lady of the estate. "I know how to handle myself, Champion. I have business I wish to discuss with you" Meredith glanced at Orana, standing meekly beside her master, with contempt burning in her eyes for the Elven servant. "May I speak with you, in private?"

Brianna Hawke lead the Templar leader into her private chambers at the rear of the Hawke Estate, closing the door silently behind her. Commander Meredith spoke first. "As you know, Hawke, Kirkwall finds itself at a critical juncture. You know of the threat the Mages pose to the order of Kirkwall; I believe you have had experience with them…" Meredith noticed the spare robe, Merrill's Dalish clothing, hanging from the dresser on the far side of the room. "Personally" Meredith turned back to face Hawke. "You are becoming an influential figure in Kirkwall. You are a true hero of the people, a Ferelden woman no less, who defended the city against the Qunari uprising, the woman who dragged herself from nothing to save an entire city. Someone like that could be a great ally to the Templar Order"

"Or an enemy" Hawke knew that conducting business with the Knight Commander was much like lending the hen house keys to the Coyote, it could only end in a bloody mess.

"I see that your companion is not here" Meredith swiftly changed the subject, a disturbing shift of tone from city politics to personal small talk.

"Merrill spends a lot of time in the Alienage these days, she enjoys the company of her own kind"

"You know, Hawke" Meredith continued. "There are many among Hightown society who does not look favourably upon living alongside Elves, let alone humans consorting with Elven Blood Mages, it won't do well for your reputation amongst society's betters"

"I was never one for social gatherings anyway" Hawke smiled.

"I have received reports from the city guard regarding several complaints made against your Elven companion" once again the Knight Commander shifted topic at a moments notice. "Reports include her attempting unauthorized entry into the Viscounts bath chamber and the Chantry airing cupboard. Accusations that she was seen picking flowers from noblemen's gardens and taunting their Mabari guard dogs have also been reported"

"Merrill is quite the free spirit, she can be difficult to influence sometimes" Hawke giggled.

"A lioness should not comfort and protect a wounded Impala, she should slit its throat and devour it at her leisure" Meredith's colourful metaphor did little to settle Hawkes wavering belief in her words. "Your sister is an apostate already brought beneath the watchful gaze of the Circle, you know what the Templar Order demands of any unsanctioned Mage" the memory of the day Bethany was taken to the Circle remained freshly scarred in her mind, the fact that Meredith was willing to resurface that troubled memory in an effort to influence her demonstrated the Knight Commanders ruthless determination in search of her objective. "I doubt that the Order will be so lenient towards an Elven Blood Mage, without your support there is little I can do to dissuade the Order"

"To think I believed that you are the Templar Order" Hawke responded boldly.

"I am the right hand of the Chantry, I simply carry out the Makers will, and I pray that you too shall see the truth in his words" Meredith had that strange mixture of unshakable confidence and a touch of sincerity that she could almost convince you that she truly believed her own bullshit. "However it is clear that you need time to make your decision, I shall leave you in peace, I believe you know where to find me if you wish to discuss the matter further. Farewell Serah Hawke" Meredith turned on her heel as though that truly were the end of the exchange. "You must be sure to keep a watchful eye over your companion" Hawkes entire body stiffened in response. "The alleyways of Lowtown between Hightown and the Elven Alienage have proven themselves dangerous in the past, especially to the young women of the city. Even the Chantry itself has been vulnerable to the dark ravages-"

Hawke reacted purely on instinct, reaching out she clasped her hand around Meredith's forearm, stopping her in her step. "If I assist the Templar Order in apprehending genuine blood mages" Brianna clearly emphasised the term 'genuine', knowing full well that any Mage could be considered to be conspiring with demonic powers by Templar standards. "Then you will personally ensure that my sister Bethany, Merrill and any other of my companions will come to no harm"

Meredith turned to face Brianna, a smile forming across her lips. "You have my word, Champion of Kirkwall"


End file.
